Anne Haugen Gausdal

Developing regional communities of practice by network reflection: the case of the Norwegian electronics industry

In 2001 a cluster association of Norwegian high-technology SMEs challenged their regional university college to develop a management education programme aimed at improving both their management practices and co-operation within the cluster. To meet this challenge, the university developed an educational method, which is here denoted as network reflection. The primary objective of this empirical paper is to explore the extent to which network reflection has the capacity to increase regional co-operation, and to extend such concepts as communities of practice, networks of practice and experienced reflection to the regional level, in order to analyse the development of regional collective learning. To achieve this objective, a case study of a network reflection intervention and its longitudinal effects on forming regional co-operation has been conducted. The research questions are: (1) Does network reflection influence the development of regional co-operation and communities of practice? (2) If increases in regional co-operation and communities of practice could be identified, did these influence regional collective learning? (3) Does network reflection influence regional collective learning? The paper concludes that network reflection seems to have a capacity to increase regional co-operation, regional communities of practice and regional collective learning.

Trust-building processes in the context of networks

Abstract This article explores the extent to which an intentionally executed intervention may trigger trust-building processes in networks. In 2001, a management educational concept – network reflection – was developed and carried out as a programme in a collaboration between a regional university college and a network of Norwegian electronics firms. After the programme ended, the participants, who were mostly strangers, increased their cooperation considerably. During the programme, they built swift trust, word-of-mouth, cognitive trust, an encapsulated-interest in trust and affective trust. Four years after the programme ended, they have cooperated on trust-demanding activities such as developing products together, enhancing quality management systems, using each other as mentors and building on two regional communities of practice. At this time, word-of-mouth, cognitive trust, encapsulated-interest account in trust, affective trust and some committed relations seem to have been built among the participants. With the purpose of finding the cause of this enduring trust effect, this process-based and longitudinal case study investigates how management education can contribute to the building of trust in networks. The primary objective of this article is to explore the extent to which network reflection has the capacity to increase different types of interpersonal trust in networks, and to develop a framework of trust-building processes in networks.

Why don’t all high-trust networks achieve strong network benefits? A case-based exploration of cooperation in Norwegian SME networks

ABSTRACT This paper explores the interactions between three focal constructs: network trust, network cooperation and network benefits. While positive interactions between these constructs are generally recognised, a deeper understanding is needed why high trust does not always coincide with high levels of cooperation and benefits in networks. Based on qualitative and survey data gathered from three Norwegian small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) networks, this paper contributes to the process theory of inter-organisational relationships by showing how network trust, cooperation and benefits interact in various ways in ongoing networks, leading to a more nuanced understanding of the relative and changing impact of each of the three focal constructs on the other constructs. In particular, trust facilitates cooperative initiatives that promise real network benefits which subsequently reinforce trust, especially when network members are smaller firms and the network has many members.

Methods for Developing Innovative SME Networks

The purpose of this paper is to study whether and how to facilitate the creation of new networks and discuss methods for developing innovative small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) networks, or more specifically methods that initiate knowledge mobility and support the development of trustful relationships. Network individual, group, and plenary reflection (IGP), a hybrid dialog method, is developed and utilised to this aim. To answer the research question ‘In what way is Network IGP a method for developing innovative SME networks?’, a case study with longitudinal—mostly qualitative—data and direct participation is conducted in a network of water cleansing SMEs from 2007 to 2013. The answer to the research question is that Network IGP is a method that can be facilitated from the outside to build trustful relationships and initiate mobility of tacit knowledge, especially during the emergence stage, of innovative SME networks. The paper also demonstrates that it is possible to support the emergence and development of SME networks from the outside, building on the participants’ knowledge and history. The paper has theoretical, methodological, and practical implications.

THE MULTIFACETED ROLE OF THE NETWORK ORCHESTRATOR — A LONGITUDINAL CASE STUDY

This longitudinal empirical case study develops a new framework for the role of the orchestrator of networks of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The SME network under study is followed during six years, through five stages of its lifecycle, and demonstrates the complex and multifaceted nature of the role of the network orchestrator. Various roles are needed for the various stages in order to achieve network retention and sustainability. This multifaceted role is found to encompass the roles as knowledge broker, innovation broker, network entrepreneur and leader and strategist, where the latter emerges as the most salient. The similarities with the role of a firm manager seem paradoxial in light of the dominating view of network management, characterized by the concept of distributed and collective leadership.

Firm innovation benefits from regional triple-helix networks

ABSTRACT This study investigates the value of constructed regional triple-helix networks for participating firms. Although participation in such networks is encouraged, the documentation of firm benefits is limited. The results from this longitudinal case study and survey study indicate that the primary benefits from network participation are increased access to knowledge and improved ability to meet challenges. Important characteristics of well-functioning networks are having a committed manager and common activities that build relationships. Lack of resources dedicated to networking limit a firm’s outcome, while participating in joint projects enhances it. The study contributes to the literature on network benefits and regional innovation policies.

Leading for safety: A weighted safety leadership model in shipping

Recent years have witnessed a growing concern for safety and highlighted the importance of leadership in safety practice within high-risk organizations. By following up and integrating the state-of-art research trends, this study aims at (1) bridging a gap in safety leadership research – i.e., the lack of a holistic understanding of safety leadership contribution at all managerial levels within high-risk organizations; (2) developing and validating a weighted safety leadership model in the context of shipping which incorporates key safety leadership behaviors that may enable researchers and practitioners to better understand and exercise safety leadership in shipping organizations. To systematically fulfill the research aims, this study integrates both numerical and descriptive data by sequentially applying three interdependent research techniques – namely inductive analysis of literature, modified Delphi method and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The study results in a holistic weighted model with concrete safety leadership behaviors at each managerial level, which contributes to the building of theoretical foundations in the domain of safety leadership research and serves as practical standards for accelerating safety leadership development in shipping organizations.

Dynamic capabilities and network benefits

The number of publicly funded initiatives to establish or strengthen networks and clusters, in order to enhance innovation, has been increasing. Returns on such investments vary, and the aim of this study is to explore to what extent the variation in benefits for firms participating in networks or clusters can be explained by their dynamic capabilities (DC). Based on survey data from five Norwegian networks, the results suggest that firms with higher DC are more successful in harvesting the potential benefits of being member of a network.

Trust-building in networks as practical social learning processes

The aim of this chapter is to identify trust-building processes in networks, with particular emphasis on the link between practical intervention methods and such processes. It draws on a comparative case study with longitudinal data from three Norwegian regional networks undertaken to answer the research question: ‘What are the core practical interventions in dialogue-based methods that facilitate social learning of trust in networks?’ The answer is to let the participants meet face to face at several seminars over a period of several months and develop joint terms and understanding. Furthermore, the participants should work together on reflection tasks organized in small, temporary, inter-organizational groups under time pressure, requiring all participants to be active by sharing, reflecting on and having dialogues about experiences and challenges within the firms. Moreover, seminars could be arranged in various localities with joint meals and social mingling at informal moments, e.g. breaks and plant visits. These interventions seem to have the potential to facilitate the social learning of trust in networks in general and also seem to work in very early stages with weak or absent trust bases among participants. The main contribution of the chapter is to increase understanding of trust-building processes in networks as social learning processes at a practical micro level.